07/22/2009
- The BBB is a Government Agency.
- The BBB only takes complaints against BBB
Accredited Businesses (members).
- The BBB's complaint process isn't worthwhile
because they have no legal weight.
- The BBB favors the Business over the Consumer.
- The BBB recommends companies to inquiring
consumers.
There are several common
misconceptions about the Better Business Bureau and the BBB of the Southwest
would like to clear up a few. The most
common misconception is that the BBB is a government agency; this is
false. Many people hear the word "Bureau"
and automatically think government, like the FBI. In actuality, the BBB is a non-profit organization supported by
its Accredited Business' (members) dues.
However, being a BBB Accredited Business does not mean that the BBB
gives special treatment to its Accredited Businesses. What it means is that the BBB Accredited Business has promised to
uphold the BBB standards of ethical business practices.
The second most common
misunderstanding is that BBBs only take complaints against BBB Accredited
Businesses (members). This is not true,
either; if they only took complaints against BBB Accredited businesses, than no
one would want to sign up. They take complaints against all businesses, and have
reliability reports on both BBB Accredited Businesses and Non-BBB Accredited Businesses.
BBB reliability reports are
designed to help consumers understand the background of a company. Reports include a BBB reliability report
rating, complaint information, licensing information, government action
information, BBB Comments and Analysis, and contact information for the company
that the BBB is aware of. To obtain a
BBB Reliability Report visit this website
or call 800-873-2224.
Other mistaken beliefs about the
BBB are that they are legal entities that can make businesses give consumers
what they want, and that they favor either the consumer or the business over
the other. These are all false. The BBB cannot force companies to do things. Some believe that this renders the BBB
powerless and that filing a complaint is a waste of time, but this is also not
the case. The BBB is designed to show
all complaint information to consumers allowing those consumers to make their own
choice as to whether they want to do business with the company; therefore, even
if the company does not satisfy the complainant, the complaint was still
worthwhile.
The power of the BBB comes
from sharing information with the public.
They have developed a rating system that assigns each company a letter
grade A+ through F. This rating system
also allows the public to get a snapshot of the company's history in order to
make an informed decision. The
algorithm behind the rating takes into consideration several factors including
the amount of complaints a business has, whether or not they answered those
complaints according to BBB standards, how long the company has been in
business, whether the company meets the proper licensing requirements, etc. The algorithm is applied to all companies,
which means each rating is given fairly by the computer.
As an independent third
party, the BBB does not favor either the consumer or the business in any
situation. It is designed to help
businesses and consumers communicate effectively and reach a resolution. If you'd like more information about the BBB's
services to businesses and consumers visit www.bbbsw.org
or call your local BBB at 800-873-2224.
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